Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere: Insights into Counseling the Globally Mobile
“As one of the first resources to address the psychosocial challenges of TCKs this is a groundbreaking book.
A must read for mental health professionals and anyone who cares for TCKs.”
Listed as a "Must Read" book by the U.S. State Department 2017
Named one of the TOP FIVE new books in 2014 by Global Living Magazine.
Featured in American Counseling Association Magazine.
Bushong, a licensed marriage and family therapist, delves into this previously, unexplored world of how to effectively counsel clients raised outside of their parents' home culture.
Readers will discover the basic characteristics and counseling skills effective with Third Culture Kids (those who have spent the majority of their developmental years outside of their passport country). Because of the rapid growth of the expat community, counselors must look at the uniqueness of working with children who grow up as a Third Culture Kid, the common presenting issues for adults TCKs and what often lies hidden beneath the surface.
The book is filled with practical examples, interesting stories, tips, charts, resources, theories, techniques and discussion questions for further study.
Using real-world examples derived from Lois' extensive personal and professional experience, this book explores:
- Who Third Culture Kids (TCK), Global Nomads, Cross-Cultural Kids, Missionary Kids, Military Brats are - and how they are alike but different.
- Review possible diagnoses for TCKs.
- How to work with TCKs on issues of identity, unresolved grief, hidden losses and rootlessness.
- Various types of treatment, sample forms, resources, techniques and theories which seem to work best with this population.
Reviews
“Finally, we have a book that explains, in clear and professional terms, how counselors can recognize and address the emotional needs of the globally mobile. Lois Bushong’s authority and experience with Third Culture Kids shine through in every page. You will never do your intake interviews the same way again, and next time you discover you are sitting with a TCK, you will both be grateful for this treasure of a book.”
“One of the best “all-around” insights into counseling Third Culture Kids (TCK) and Adult Third Culture Kids (ATCK). It’s worthwhile for anyone interested in understanding the challenges of global nomads (parents, TCKs, teachers) and a must have step-by-step guide for counselors who are beginning to work with TCKs and ATCKs. Bushong shows you how to identify TCKs, listen for key insights into clients experiences to enable effective counseling and how to make an accurate DSM diagnosis.”
“What a delight finally to find a book that describes the world and experience of TCKs and how those experiences contribute to the struggles and challenges they face and which they bring to my counseling office!! As a TCK and psychotherapist myself, the insights and helps offered by Lois Bushong in her book, Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere have confirmed much what I have learned about myself as well as offering additional tools to help other MKs. In our increasingly multi-cultural world I would recommend this book to any professional counselor, TCK or not, as a much-needed, practical and helpful resource which should belong in every clinician’s library.”
“At long last, the book that has been missing from the global mobility shelf is here. Bound to be a bestseller. Bushong has produced the only resource of its kind – one that counselors, therapists, and expats alike can embrace on their way to understanding the issues of the globally mobile.”
“Bushong astutely builds on the existing TCK literature to weave together a foundational work for mental health therapists who seek to thoughtfully engage individuals from a globally mobile population that is growing in size and scope. Her primer considers key questions and common underlying reasons for why many TCKs seek therapy, makes practical recommendations for therapists, and invites practitioners to more deeply cultivate the imaginative space that is so crucial in our work, no matter our theoretical orientation or cultural background. Generous and enjoyable, this is a must read for mental health therapists practicing in today’s rapidly globalizing twenty-first century.”
“As one of the first resources to address the psychosocial challenges of TCKs this is a groundbreaking book. Lois Bushong grew up as a TCK and is a TCK therapist whose authentic voice arrests our attention to unique TCK characteristics that, if overlooked, can lead to misdiagnosis. Drawing on a wealth of personal and professional experience she expands our knowledge and increases our skills out of a commitment to best practice. A must read for mental health professionals and anyone who cares for TCKs.”
“I am so excited about the potential benefit of “Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere” for therapists of global nomads and families worldwide! Lois’s style is so practical, personable, and authoritative all at once, demonstrating how professionals can expand their skills to recognize and address the invisible and ambiguous losses that fuel the nuanced and hidden angst tied to identity and belonging in a globalizing world. This book and the practical wisdom it elaborates will help the international community–and its various sectors–more compassionately and competently care for those who struggle with the developmental challenges of a cross-cultural and/or internationally mobile upbringing. Thank you, Lois!”